Gil Souviron <>
writes:

We went with twelve pilots, six in rigid and six in flex, and the
expedition was a remarkable experiment, where we discovered an exceptional hang
gliding site, and exceptional people, Bill Moyes and his family. I would say
that in Spain, the conditions are very similar and we also have there a
formidable hang gliding play-ground that requires but one day drive by car from
France. But during the northern hemisphere winter, Wilcannia is much better, of
course.


Considering the performance of rigid and flexible today there is no doubt that
the out and return and FAI triangle distance records will fall soon, especially
as these distances are seriously titillated our Australian friends and Team
Moyes. With Micky, Gerolf, I expect my record to fall soon.


What is important is that records are made to be beaten and I am pleased
(finally) to have made a larger triangle than Thomas Suchaneck, to show the
performance of the new rigid wing hang gliders. With Jean-Charles Ballembois and
Jean my brother, we will now polish some interesting “small triangle on our
premises” in the south of the French Alps.


If you want to find the best conditions in winter and discover a very attractive
country, there is only one place: Australia, and for the logistics, support and
everything else one man Bill Moyes and his Moyes team.


Personally, I went to Australia with two main goals: to discover the country and
to break the FAI records for longest out and return and FAI triangle. I did the
first one officially and the second one not officially. Even if it is not a
piece of cake, the 400km out and return and 400 km triangle is quite achievable
with the performance of the gliders today.


I can confirm the Atos VR is better than any flex (I flew with Micki for 180km),
but I would say about 5-10km/h more speed at same glide (I weight only 66kg and
no Ballast just 5 liters of water).


World thermal analysis:


I will be interested to find, like the surfer, where the best hang gliding spot
in the world is. As I am sure we know most of them, I don’t think all, and also
it will be very interesting to have the statistics on all the spots we know.


On all the trip we have done I have been very surprised by the accuracy of the
forecast done by this NOAA site:
http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready.html. At least for Spain and Australia it
works fine with an accuracy of 90% forecasting two days out.  Quite
surprisingly this NOAA site have archives for weather since 1997.


I am thinking (or dreaming), that if we can find a student or group of students
(I mean clever students) who can make an exhaustive analysis and statistics on
10 years worth of weather data.


Let say, by analyzing a sounding every 100km x 100km over all the Earth where we
are sure the conditions are good (reasonably 30% of the earth emerged = 50
Million km²), so we will have to take 5,000 Sounding. Making this for half a
year (“winter” in each hemisphere is not good for flying) so 200 days means
about 1,000,000 sounding analysis per year or 10 Millions for ten years. As the
result of one sounding is given in a few seconds, it will be quite low time
computing.


Now we need to have software to automate the analysis and make statistics, to
get: Ceiling (absolute and differential), nebulosity (0 to 8/8) and wind
(Ground, 1500 meters, 3000 meters and 4500 meters) and even convection duration.
Then with this result we can statistically tell which is the best spot in the
world, what the average good day is at each and every spot (with very accurate
data: days with ceiling above, wind average, etc.)


NOAA is part of the American government. It would be nice to talk with them to
discuss if this idea can work or is stupid. But the result could be extremely
useful for all pilots flying thermals (or waves).